Govt endorses global 6G Call to Action on security and innovation
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India has endorsed the Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security, joining a group of like-minded governments committed to shaping the next generation of wireless communications around openness, interoperability, security, resilience, resource efficiency, and innovation-led competition.
The move reinforces India’s stated ambition to play a leading role in the global development of 6G technologies and marks another step in the country’s transition from a technology adopter to a technology and standards leader.
Focus on 6G leadership
Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has consistently emphasised India’s ambition to lead in 6G technology. The development also reflects the emphasis of Minister of State for Communications Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani on strengthening India’s role in setting global technology standards.
The Communications Minister also highlighted the significance of the development in a social media post.
G20 announcement
India’s endorsement was announced on the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial, held in North Carolina, US, on September 1-2, 2026, under the US G20 Presidency.
The announcement was marked by a handshake between Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Electronics and Information Technology, and Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce.
India joins Canada, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Norway, Paraguay, South Korea, Romania, Sweden, the UK, and the US in affirming the Call to Action.
Security and resilience
The initiative recognises secure digital infrastructure as critical to technological competitiveness, economic prosperity and national security. Advanced telecommunications networks are expected to form the backbone of this infrastructure, supporting economic activity, critical services and increasingly connected societies.
The participating governments have also recognised that globally interconnected communications networks can create cyber, economic and national security risks. Strong common baselines for network security and resilience, therefore, require coordinated action involving governments, industry, academia and other stakeholders.
Roadmap for cooperation
The Call to Action sets out a phased roadmap for participating governments. Within one month, governments are expected to identify expert 6G points of contact, designate agencies to coordinate with the contact group and prepare preliminary lists of relevant industry and academic stakeholders.
Within three months, participants will engage the telecommunications sector to map the emerging secure and interoperable 6G landscape, identify barriers to leadership and assess the resources required to strengthen competitiveness.
Within six months, governments will work at the expert level on strategies to support secure, resilient, sustainable and innovative 6G supply chains and consider integrating 6G leadership and security into national and regional strategies. A meeting in 2027 will review progress, exchange best practices and establish priorities for the following year.
The initiative also identifies cooperation in 6G research and development, cybersecurity risk assessment, supply-chain transparency, secure 5G, and 6G deployment and the development of global standards with industry.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will coordinate India's follow-up activities with government agencies, industry, academia and other stakeholders.
India's participation builds on domestic initiatives including the Bharat 6G Vision, Bharat 6G Alliance, and indigenous 4G and 5G technology stack. The engagement is expected to complement India's ongoing work in international standardisation and spectrum forums while preserving the country's independent positions in those platforms.